CLARKSVILLE - Aldermen talked for nearly an hour Monday night about clarifying a resolution stating the city council will oversee the expenditures of funds derived from a one-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2003.

In May, the council approved a resolution stating that any and all proposed expenditures from the street improvement fund and the community projects funds - the two funds supported by the sales tax - would be submitted to the council for its review and approval prior to any of the funds being obligated toward any expense.

Since the passage of that resolution, council members have met weekly to approve invoices for portions of approved projects paid for from the sales tax monies.

Alderman John Pledger said Monday he believed the weekly meetings were unneccessary.

"I voted for it because I thought it was just putting into words what we were already doing," Pledger said. "I didn't know it was going to result in weekly meetings to approve invoices and to pay the bills.

"By state law, our job is to listen to proposals and decide whether it's worthy or not worthy of being paid for with the sales tax money. Once we put it out for bids, state law decides what's going to happen.

"It's the duty of the clerk to pay the bills. I didn't know we were going to meet and pay bills. Our job as a council is legislative, not executive or clerical or management."

Pledger said after a project was approved by the council, the mayor and city clerk should be responsible for overseeing the bidding process and the paying of bills.

Alderman Freeman Wish, who proposed the original resolution, said it was not his intention to have weekly meetings to approve invoices.

"I think it's good for us to know who got the bids, what's going to happen and how much it's going to cost," Wish said. "I don't see that we need to meet to approve every bill. Once we give our approval for a project for 'x' amount of dollars, we don't have to approve the spending of that money, unless it goes over that 'x' amount."

Wish said he does want some type of reporting system to be implemented so the council can see where the money is going and how the projects are progressing.

"When we sold the sales tax to the voters, one of the things we said was the council was going to oversee the expense of the money," Wish said. "I think we ought to have some type of reporting system to see where we're at."

Alderman Mark Simpson agreed.

"I think it's a good idea to see where we're at each month," he said. "If we want to look at the bills, they're in [city clerk] Barbara [Blac-kard's] office all the time. It wouldn't be difficult for us to check on that stuff."

Wish said he believed the intention of the resolution was for the council to be provided with periodic updates on the sales tax revenues and expenditures as well as progress on projects approved by the council.

"I just think it's a good practice that whatever we do as a council is as transparent as possible," he said.

Blackard said city attorney Bruce Wilson told her not to pay any invoices from the sales tax revenue without getting council approval first.

Council members agreed to consult with Wilson before amending or revising the resolution.

In other business Monday, the council approved an ordinance accepting public dedications for Millwood Subdivision Phase II.

Alderman also heard a presentation from Beverly Bauer of the Air Evac Lifeteam about new services available from the Lifeteam.

Ron Wylie, fire chief and chairman of the street names and addresses committee, presented several proposed changes from the committee to correct naming and numbering inconsistencies.

The council approved a request from Tom Cogan, parks and recreation director, to apply for a 50-50 matching grant from the Arkansas Department of Park and Tourism's Outdoor Recreation Grant Program to fund the renovation of the city's playgrounds.